Cucumber is one of those things I hadn’t seen growing in my youth apart from one time in an allotment. When I first saw a vine with beautiful yellow flowers I thought I was looking at a small cactus; it looked so spiny and sharp.
RECIPES
ROASTED CUCUMBER, QUINOA, FREEKAH & HERBS
There are many different kinds of cucumber, and more heritage (heirloom) breeds are emerging. Cucumbers can all pretty much be divided into four categories based on what use they are most suited to. The first is slicing, which are obviously the best to simply slice and serve raw in salads. They are suited to most cucumber recipes. Category two is pickling—fairly self-explanatory. This is the category where gherkins live. Burpless cucumber is category three, and, although it seems quite funny, obviously the non-social behavior invoked by your cucumber of old was enough to make some polite farmer or scientist take the time to produce varieties that won’t repeat on you. Bless them. And, finally, there is specialty, which include all heritage varieties. But still, if you stopped someone in the street and asked them to name some cucumber varieties, they could probably only tell you two—small and continental—off the top of their head. These are the universal ones, the all-rounders, and you will find them in every supermarket. But it is really worth keeping an eye out for different kinds. Go to a farmers’ market and there are so many different varietals out there. Try the Crystal Apple, developed by Arthur Yates in Sydney in the thirties. It has an unusual oval shape, with creamy white flesh, and is really quite lovely. Or the Armenian, which is long, like a gourd, and sometimes called a “snake melon.” Then there are the Jefferson and Syrian, which have yellow skin and are round like apples. Different varieties have lots of different characteristics and flavors. Some have bitter skin but soft creamy flesh, some have heaps of seeds and hardly any flesh at all, and some have an incredibly high water content. They all suit different uses. This is why I love growing my own, and why it is worth putting a little bit of time into researching different varieties. A website like http://sustainableseedco.com is great for this as not only do they stock many hard to find heirloom seeds, they also can give you some tips on how to get the best growing results.
You wouldn’t think it at first but the humble cuc is another world-conquering veggie. It originated in India, where it is hailed for its wonderful refreshing and cooling properties, and is made into the beautiful yogurt dip, raita, which is served as a foil alongside fiery curries. In India during colonial times it must have been a godsend to all those English gentlemen, and they then adopted it and took it home with them. I mean there’s nothing more British than a cucumber sandwich, is there? But also, the Japanese love soured and pickled cucumber, the French adore their cornichons—the tiny refined pickled cucumbers—the Polish and Germans love their gherkins. And honestly what would a corned beef and sauerkraut roll be without sweet gherkins? Or a Big Mac, for that matter? It’s quite funny to think that the great linguist Samuel Johnson held such a low opinion of them that he is credited to have said, “… a cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing.” How rude!
Now I am going to broach some subjects that have been the issue of debates for many a long year: to salt or not to salt? To peel or not to peel? Well, these are the questions. And my answers are, really, it’s up to you. Except if you’re making cucumber sandwiches, in which case you must peel. I don’t think HM the Queen would be having a bar of afternoon tea if she found the cucumber in her sandwiches still had the skin on! No, really, I find that there are some cucumber varieties that have quite coarse and bitter skin, so I would recommend peeling, in that case. However, you want to peel very finely and not remove too much of the lovely green pigment that is just under the skin. Salting again is a matter of taste, but I think that everything can benefit from a little judicious seasoning. And, as I will discuss further with zucchini, salting the cucumber flesh can draw out any excess moisture, which can be beneficial.
When you are looking to grow your own cucumbers, it’s handy to know that they do like a nice amount of lime in the soil, and they don’t need a lot of manure. They also perform best with a mid-level or neutral pH in the soil, which means not too acidic but not too alkaline either. And boy, do they love water! It makes sense, really, as they do have such a high water content.
Please try to grow them from seed—it’s so satisfying to put seedlings in your little hothouse, and then transplant them to the garden. Make a teepee of garden stakes so that their vines have something to grip onto and climb up. You can put at least 5–6 seedlings around each teepee. One thing to be mindful of, and it’s something I’ve done a few times and been quite angry at myself for, cucumbers have very small, fine root systems so when pulling the fruit be gentle. Otherwise you will pull the whole plant out, and then you’ll be annoyed at yourself. And if you do accidentally do it, don’t try to replant it. It doesn’t work—trust me.
CUCUMBER & YOGURT SOUP
SERVES 4
You may not be a fan of cold soups (I know my missus isn’t) but think of them as a sauce that marries beautifully with other things or a refreshing cleanser on a warm day. This is one of my favorite cold soups: velvety, creamy and delicious. It goes brilliantly with picked crabmeat, crayfish or poached chicken. Try adding some nuts to it or golden raisins and, if the flavor is lacking a little, add a dash of red wine vinegar or lemon juice to round out the flavors.
¾ CUP UNSALTED BUTTER
3 LARGE CONTINENTAL CUCUMBERS, PEELED, SEEDS REMOVED AND ROUGHLY CHOPPED
1¼ CUPS SHEEP’S MILK YOGURT
SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, TO SERVE
Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the cucumber and gently sauté for 7–10 minutes, without any coloring, or until the cucumber starts to soften. Immediately pour the mixture into a blender and blitz until smooth. Pass through a fine strainer into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled.
Once chilled, gently whisk in the yogurt, season with salt and pepper and pass again through a fine strainer. Serve immediately, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, or chill again until ready to use.
IRENE’S TZATZIKI
MAKES NEARLY 3 CUPS
Irene is a lovely Greek lady who works for Thermomix Australia. She attended a cooking class of mine at Tony Tan’s Unlimited Cuisine Company in Melbourne, and then she came to eat at Pope Joan. She ordered one of my salads and told me it was delicious but some tzatziki would have really lifted the dish. Me being a stubborn Yorkshire fellow, I turned up my nose. But Irene was not put off. She went on to tell me that it’s not just about throwing all the ingredients together to make a tzatziki, they should be incorporated gradually to maximize the flavor. I tried it and she was right. When done properly, it is far superior to the bought stuff and I now add it to all sorts of things. I recommend making this a day ahead to allow the flavors to develop. Thanks Irene, you’re a champ.
2 CUPS THICK SHEEP’S MILK YOGURT
1 LARGE CONTINENTAL CUCUMBER, PEELED, GRATED AND THE EXCESS WATER SQUEEZED OUT
1 TABLESPOON ITALIAN PARSLEY LEAVES, CHOPPED
1 TABLESPOON DILL, FINELY CHOPPED
1½ TABLESPOONS WHITE VINEGAR
2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
2 PINCHES OF FINE SEA SALT
15 TURNS OF WHITE PEPPER FROM A MILL
3 GARLIC CLOVES, FINELY GRATED ON A MICROPLANE
Place the yogurt, cucumber, parsley and dill in a bowl and gently fold together.
Next, you need to build the flavors gradually. Start by folding in the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Taste to see if a little more vinegar or salt is needed. Now slowly incorporate as much garlic as you like. The flavor of the garlic will intensify while it sits in the fridge so less is more.
ROASTED CUCUMBER, QUINOA, FREEKAH & HERBS
MAKES A NICE BIG SALAD FOR 4
Roasted cucumber? You must think I’m crazy! Well, this is a delightful salad, perfect for summer. A must-try while sipping a gin and tonic.
3 SMALL CUCUMBERS, PEELED, SEEDS REMOVED, QUARTERED AND CUT INTO 1¼ INCH PIECES
1 TEASPOON FINE SEA SALT
3 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
1½ CUPS COOKED QUINOA (MIXED OR JUST ONE TYPE) (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)
½ CUP COOKED FREEKAH (SEE INSTRUCTIONS)
¼ RED ONION, THINLY SLICED
3 TABLESPOONS ORGANIC RAW ALMONDS, CHOPPED
3 TABLESPOONS GOLDEN RAISINS
3 TABLESPOONS SUNFLOWER SEEDS
JUICE OF 1 LEMON
⅓ CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
1 TABLESPOON ITALIAN PARSLEY LEAVES, CHOPPED
1 TABLESPOON MINT LEAVES, CHOPPED
½ CUP PICKED WATERCRESS
SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
¾ CUP NATURAL YOGURT
Place the cucumber on a tray lined with a paper towel and sprinkle liberally with the salt. Let stand for 3 minutes, then rinse and pat dry with some more paper towels. This is to draw out the moisture of the cucumber so as to not make your salad soggy.
Heat a large skillet over high heat, add the olive oil and cucumber and pan fry for about 4 minutes or until the cucumber is golden brown. Place in a bowl (I’d use the same bowl that you would like to present the salad in).
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, except the yogurt and reserve a little of the herbs. Gently toss together and check the seasoning. To finish, spoon the yogurt over the top in small dollops, then sprinkle with the reserved herbs.
